Karnataka Advances to Vijay Hazare Trophy Semifinals with Dominant Win Over Mumbai

Karnataka's Strong Performance Secures Semifinal Spot

Bengaluru: The defending champions, Karnataka, have made their way into the semifinals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the fourth consecutive time, achieving a convincing 54-run victory over Mumbai using the VJD method on Monday.

Karnataka's innings was bolstered by the tournament's top scorer, Devdutt Padikkal, who remained unbeaten at 81 runs off 95 balls, alongside veteran Karun Nair, who also finished not out with 74 runs from 80 balls. The team was well-placed at 187 for 1 in 33 overs while chasing a target of 255 when rain interrupted play.

At that point, the VJD par score was set at 132, and with Karnataka ahead by 55 runs, they were declared the winners.

Earlier in the match, Mumbai faced significant challenges, missing pacer Tushar Deshpande due to personal issues and losing key batter Sarfaraz Khan to an injury sustained during practice.

In his absence, Mumbai could only muster 254 runs for 8 wickets after Karnataka's captain, Mayank Agarwal, chose to bowl first at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1.

Shams Mulani was the standout performer for Mumbai, scoring a resilient 86 runs, helping stabilize the innings after a shaky start.

Mumbai found themselves struggling at 60 for 4 in 17.2 overs, but Mulani and skipper Siddhesh Lad (38 runs off 58 balls) formed a crucial partnership of 76 runs for the sixth wicket.

Despite losing wickets quickly after Lad's dismissal, Mulani continued to fight, reaching his fifty in 68 balls and finishing with 86 runs off 91 balls, including eight boundaries.

His late innings contribution, supported by Sairaj Patil (33 not out off 25 balls), allowed Mumbai to score 59 runs in the final five overs, giving their bowlers something to defend.

Mulani's innings ended when he was trapped lbw by Abhilash Shetty in the last over.

For Karnataka, Vidyadhar Patil was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets for 42 runs, while Abhilash Shetty and Vidwath Kaverappa took two wickets each.

In response, Karnataka started cautiously but lost their captain early in the powerplay. Agarwal, who has been in excellent form this season, was dismissed for just 12 runs.

Mumbai's fielding errors proved costly, as Padikkal was given two chances to capitalize on. A thick edge off Avasthi's bowling was dropped at slip, and a straightforward catch was missed by Onkar Tarmale.

Padikkal made Mumbai pay dearly for these mistakes, scoring aggressively and forming a solid partnership with Nair, adding 143 runs for the second wicket.

Nair, who had struggled in previous matches, found his rhythm with a quick fifty off 44 balls, showcasing his ability to control the game.

Despite trying seven different bowlers, Mumbai could not find a breakthrough after Avasthi's early success.

Karnataka had previously topped Elite Group 'A' with six victories out of seven matches.

Brief Scores:

Mumbai 254/8; 50 overs (Shams Mulani 86; Vidyadhar Patil 3/42, Vidwath Kaverappa 2/43, Abhilash Shetty 2/59) lost to Karnataka 187/1; 33 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 81 not out, Karun Nair 74 not out) by 54 runs via VJD method.